Autism Awareness

Autism is a developmental disability that creates difficulty in social interaction and communication to varying degrees. As many as 1.5 million Americans – children and adults – are thought to have autism today. The overall incidence of autism is consistent around the world, but it is four times more prevalent in boys than girls.

The number of people with autism is rising dramatically. Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism spectrum disorders are growing at a rate of 10-17 percent each year.

Autism usually appears during the first three years of life. Because of a disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities.

Autism can often be reliably detected by the age of 3 years, and in some cases as early as 18 months. Studies suggest that many children eventually may be accurately identified by the age of 1 year or even younger.

Research indicates that early diagnosis is associated with dramatically better outcomes for children with autism. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the earlier the child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention approaches.

During a well-baby/well-child visit, a child’s doctor should do a developmental screening, asking specific questions about the baby’s progress. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) lists these five behaviors that signal further evaluation is warranted:

* Does not babble or coo by 12 months
* Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp) by 12 months
* Does not say single words by 16 months
* Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own by 24 months
* Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age.

Having any of these five “red flags” does not mean a child has autism, but because the characteristics of the disorder vary so much, a child should have a comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals knowledgeable about autism.